Lao PDR is endowed with biodiversity and rattan and bamboo species that has played an important role in generating income for the rural communities. It was estimated that rattan and bamboo can contribute about 22,000,000 US dollars or more per year to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with about 150,000 households, within 1,700 villages, have access to and use rattan-bamboo resources. Many stakeholders agreed that the rattan-bamboo sectors still have high potential for sustainable development based on the experiences and lessons learned from many projects that have been implemented in the past, such as the Bamboo and Rattan Project (GRET) and the Sustainable Rattan and Bamboo Harvesting Project (WWF). In Lao PDR, the sector’s development is still very scattered without specific action plan to support. This has resulted in limited effectiveness of resource management for rattan and bamboo. The development of rattan and bamboo value chains and their contribution to the income generation and poverty reduction can be improved. I n the next ten years, in order to foster the development of rattan and bamboo sectors in the country, The National Taskforce has prepared the National Action Plan (NAP) for the sustainable rattan and bamboo development as defined by the 2030 vision that aims at “Sustainable allocation, management and use of natural rattan and bamboo resources with more efficient, economic-visible and contribute to the livelihood improvement and poverty reduction in line with green and sustainable development”.
